After my meeting with Jakob and Jace, I was left with more questions than answers. I felt like someone was having one over me.
...1 Hour Earlier...
"So what do I owe this pleasure?" Jakob asks, turning to look at both Jace and me. He attempts to hide a scowl on his face upon looking at Jace, knowing full well that matters are truly serious if Jace needs to be in attendance.
"We've come to ask you some questions. But before I ask my questions, I want you to know the gravity of the situation." I begin, knowing that I'll only get answers out of Jakob if I appeal to his parenthood. Being a parent myself, I'd appreciate someone being honest and open with me, as opposed to upfront and demanding answers about my child.
"Go on." Jakob comments, pointing towards the empty chairs in front of his desk for Jace and me to take a seat. Both Jace and I nod and take our seats as Jakob follows suit.
"I can only guess that if you're both here, then it's because of a more personal matter, perhaps?" Jakob inquires with a raised brow.
"I'm afraid so. But before I get into things, I want to explain a more private matter." I reply, once again avoiding asking my questions right off the bat in hopes of a better outcome. I'd prefer to keep the information pertaining to Sienna's kidnapping in-house. However, it has become impossible, especially in light of the new information we have.
Jakob sits back in his chair and nods.
"A week ago, Sienna went missing." I begin, watching Jakob's eyebrows raise.
"We believed at the time that Sienna was being held hostage to be used as a bargaining chip to get Brio."
"Something changed?" Jakob asks, jumping ahead. I nod my head in response, knowing there's no hiding anything from Jakob. He's brilliant.
"Yes. At first, we had reason to believe the Reaper was behind Sienna's kidnapping. However, we just found some new information that points otherwise."
"What would that be?" Jakob asks. I hold my breath, preparing myself for Jakob's answer. Knowing regardless of what he says, it will be bad regardless. If Chase did, in fact, have a son, then there's a very high chance we're dealing with someone just as sick as he was. If Chase didn't have a son, then we're left with more questions as to who could behind this and why.
"Do you have a grandchild?" I ask, getting straight to the point.
Jakob goes silent, clearly not anticipating my line of questioning. The tension in the room is at an all-time high. However, we all remain silent.
After a moment, Jakob sighs and runs his hand over his face as his shoulders slouch.
"I'm going to take a guess that you're asking me this, as you believe he may be involved with this." Jakob states, looking at me.
"So it's true. You do have a grandson." I state, not missing how Jakob went straight to say, Grandson.
"Yes. I can also tell that you seem to be aware of who the father is." Jakob inquired, not once turning his gaze from me.
"Chase Finch." I state, retelling what Jace told me earlier.
Jakob nods his head in agreement.
"So why the secrecy? Why not raise him as your own?" I ask.
"I'm surprised you, out of all people, are the one to ask me that. What Scarlett and that miscreant did under the Johnson name will forever tarnish my legacy. I wanted to be separated from everything that took place. Once it made the news of Scarlett's involvement, our stocks dropped drastically. Venders everywhere were pulling out. If it weren't for your trust to partner with Brio, we would be going into bankruptcy by the end of the year." Jakob confesses.
I remain silent, surprised by his confession. I had known his stocks had taken a dive after everything that happened, but I hadn't realized it had affected him so much. Now that I take a better look at him, I can see signs of stress throughout his body. Worry lines plague his face, and he's lost a significant amount of weight and hair. When I had seen him earlier in the week, I had just assumed it was old age.
"So, what do you know about this grandson of yours?" I ask, wanting to know how much of his life he had been involved in.
"Not much, other than I know that he's alive. When Scarlett had him, I made her put him up for adoption. There was no way I would allow our family to be associated with such a hoodlum. So I cut all ties to him. I didn't even want to know his name. I thought the less I knew, the better. However, I also made sure to have any connection to me and my family redacted. So there shouldn't have been any way for him to know who his true birth parents were." Jakob sighs, visibly upset. Regardless of whatever protocols Jakob had taken, it was clear that Silvio managed to get his hands on the documents.
I nod my head. Understanding his side of things. I can't say whether or not I would've made the same decision as he did. But dwelling on mindless aspects is just a waste of time in the grand scheme of things. Right now, Silvio's upbringing is the least of my importance. My focus is on Sienna and anything that would be of help to save her. As if reading my mind, Jace takes control of the room.
"We came here today, as we have information pointing to Silvio being the ring leader of Sienna's kidnapping. We were hoping to figure out his motives to see whether we could get ahead of him."
"I understand. Though, unfortunately, I don't have anything information that could be of any use to you."
"Actually, that's not quite true. You've actually helped us much more than you think." Jace says, standing up with a smile on his face.
"I did? How so?" Jakob asks, clearly confused. Though I can't deny I'm just as stumped.
"You just told us about how the documents on him had been redacted. Which meant that it should be impossible to get the true information needed in the documents to pinpoint it back to you." Jace explains, making the lightbulb in my head go off.
"You think someone is helping him." I state, turning to Jace.
"Exactly. We already know of Kevin Westshire's involvement. But we have long since suspected that Lucas Sheffield is involved as well." Jace explains, making me sit down. I can't believe this is happening again. Once again, my long-term friend and Haley's ex have partnered to take us down. It's as though nothing's changed.
"So, in other words, if you want to go after my grandson, you need to go after Lucas." Jakob states when an idea comes to mind.
"Actually, no. We don't need to do that." I state.
"What do you mean?" Jace asks, looking confused. I could tell he thought he was getting somewhere. However, for the first time in a long time, the ball was finally in my court.
"We're overlooking one big detail." I state as I get up from my chair to look out the office windows.
"And that would be?" Jace asks.
"Lucas and I used to be friends. We went to school together, which means I know how he thinks. So in order to get ahead of this, I need to think like Lucas. What would he do?" I explain, turning around to look at both of them.
"Let's start with what we know." Jace says."We know that Silvio is involved." I state."We know that Silvio is getting help from someone else. Most likely Lucas Sheffield, as we believe Kevin Westshire to be MIA." Jace explains."We know that Silvio, the Reaper, Ash, and Sienna have suddenly come back to the States after going missing for nearly a week." I explain, still not sure what this could mean."We know Silvio's motive." Jakob explains, catching our attention."We do?" Both Jace and I reply in unison."Isn't it obvious?" Jakob asks, standing up as well to walk across his office to a small liquor cabinet. He pours himself a glass and offers one to both Jace and I. We both decline the offer, eager to hear his explanation."Well, from what you're telling me. My grandson is a part of and quite possibly spearheading this endeavour. Which could only mean one thing." He states, trailing his thumb over the rim of his glass."What?" I ask, encouraging him to continue."Silvio is out fo
"How on earth is that a plan?" Jace shouts at me, but I choose to ignore him."Because we need Silvio to think he won." I state, looking back out the window as I visualize what I need to do next."Are you on crack? We can't just blow up a building! Blowing up a building won't make Silvio 'think' he won because he 'will' have won! I don't care whether the building is yours or not. The destruction to the area, not to mention the lives at stake, are far too great to risk. I will not partake in this idiotic plan of yours." Jace shouts, stomping towards the door."I can't say I disagree. How is blowing up your building a good plan?" Jakob asks before Jace reaches the door."Because we won't really be blowing it up." I state."O-kay... You've lost me." Jakob retorts, furrowing his brows to look in my direction. I turn around to face both of them, Jace in particular. The moment I replied to Jakob, Jace stood frozen at the door. I can tell he knows what I'm suggesting. He tilts his head to lo
...Sienna POV...The ground begins to shake and beams begin to fall all around us. My dad grabs onto me, pulling me closer as sparks shoot out from all around us. I feel him hold me firmly in his grasp as the lights begin to flicker. A bright light emits, throwing everything into chaos. I feel us being ripped apart from one another as the force pushes me away from my dad."DADDY!" I scream out as everything goes black.I feel a weight on me, but it's too dark to figure out what's keeping me from moving. My hands slide around me as I attempt to gather my barrings, but nothing seems familiar. My hands slide over various sizes of rocks and concrete. I feel a slight prick as my hand protrudes into what feels like glass. My head is spinning and my eyes make it difficult to stay awake. The pain from my previous injuries finally became unbearable. The adrenaline rush wearing off, and I am no longer able to control the waves of pain that rack my body. What's going on? Am I alive? I shouldn't
...Hunter POV...I was restless. Every moment that ticked by grew increasingly worse. The only thing keeping me calm was the constant beeping of the heart monitor. I look down at Sienna's lifeless body wrapped in more bandages than I've ever seen on one person. My heart shatters, knowing I'm to blame for many of the injuries she sustained, including the ones caused by Silvio and Kevin. If I hadn't brought her into my life, none of this would've happened. She would be safe and at home, living her life as she should. Not here in a medical centre injured and on the brink of death.The doctors are optimistic that she should make a full recovery. Her last words to me echo through my mind. As much as I don't want to leave her, I know it's for the best. I need to go to Tomás. If what she's saying is true, then Tomás may be in more danger. Silvio's plan didn't go as he had hoped. It's only a matter of time until he realizes that and comes after Sienna or Tomás. Now that Sienna is back with h
A nervous doctor steps forward."Puedo ayudar." I can help. He says. I raise my chin eyeing him suspiciously."Ni siquiera pienses en engañarme de nuevo, de lo contrario me aseguraré de que tu familia y amigos sean borrados de la faz de la tierra." Don't even think about tricking me again, otherwise I'll make sure your family and friends are wiped from the face of the earth. I seethe.The doctor nervously nods his head and walks over to the machine. He turns off some of the nearby machines."¿Qué estás haciendo?" What are you doing? I ask, not expecting him to do that."Esta máquina no es lo que parece. Si bien parece una máquina cardíaca normal, en realidad administra pequeñas dosis de propofol, pentobarbital y tiopental. Mantener a Tomás sostenido en un coma inducido por drogas. Al detener las máquinas, se detendrá la administración de medicamentos." This machine isn't what it seems. While it looks like a normal heart machine, it's actually administering small doses of propofol, pen
...Sienna POV...My head begins to pound, making me groan. I raise my hand to my head, only to find I can't move my hand. It feels as though I'm tied up or something. I try to think back, but nothing comes to mind. Suddenly, images of being tied up in a cell come flashing to my mind. I feel my body slouch from the realization that I must still be in Hunter's cell. A beeping sound interrupts my thoughts, making the pounding in my head increase. I hiss out in pain, wishing for the beeping to stop. "She's awake!" I hear someone yell out, making my head scream even further. "Shh!" I hiss out, needing whoever is nearby to shut up. It feels as though I've been hit by a truck. I can't remember what happened for me to feel like this. But I quickly realize that I must be suffering from some sort of blunt-force trauma to have no recollection as to what is going on."Sienna!" I hear a woman scream out, making my eyes pop open in surprise. The entire time I had been in Hunter's dungeons, not o
It's been nearly two months since the incident. I'm thankful to be alive and with my family. For a while, I didn't think I would ever get the opportunity to ever see them again. Yet at the same time, I couldn't ignore the void I felt within me. I had hoped that once I woke up that I would see Hunter. He was the first thing I asked about once my memory of the event came back to me. I was happy to know that both he and Ash had not only survived but were ok. I thought for sure that Hunter would come to visit me. So consider myself disappointed to hear that he hadn't. I could literally feel my heart rip from my chest, knowing that Hunter hadn't even come to check on me. Though after stewing about it for a couple of days, I realized that it was probably for the best. If Hunter hadn't come, then that could only mean one thing. He took me seriously and had gone after Tomás. I was able to relax knowing that Tomás would be ok. I was worried that something would happen to him now that we were
...Ash POV...From the moment I first laid eyes on Sienna, I knew she was special. I could see the trapped princess under the strong facade. While I may not know all the details, I am probably one of the few that know the true Sienna. The strong and capable warrior behind the princess that everyone else sees. To the outside world, she is your perfect and well-mannered rich girl. But that wasn't really who she truly was. Rather, that was only a small glimmer as to who the real Stone Princess really was. To the outside world, they see an entitled rich girl that does everything her parents ask of her. The princess that spends her free time volunteering to help the homeless and who gets straight A's in every subject. But Sienna was much more complicated than that. Jace had explained to me everything that had happened to Sienna when she was a kid. And yet, it felt as though I was only touching the surface of who she really was. I thought when Jace had assigned me to be her personal guard